3 Visual Branding Tips for Entrepreneurs

This post on visual branding originally appeared as a guest post on the Small Coffee marketing blog.

No matter what type of business you own, there are certain best practices in developing your visual branding that will help you come out the other side with a look that appeals and engages. This assumes you’ve already done some work figuring out your brand messaging, and are ready to translate that into your business’ new look. Here are 3 tips to help you do just that.

1. Your personal taste is not the focus.

I wrote a whole post about this, but what it boils down to is that your business’ branding should be about what appeals to your target audience, not what you personally prefer. Your favorite color may be pink, but if you’re trying to sell something to conservative men in their 40’s, that’s not going to be the smart branding choice.

Once you know who your target audience is, your designer can utilize their knowledge of color theory, font personalities and more to make sure your visual branding lines up with who you’re trying to reach. Branding is all about effectively communicating who your business is for and what it does for them, so the focus should be on them, not on you the business owner. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t like and be happy with your business’ branding, but keep in mind that a business owner rarely falls into the target audience of their business.

2. Keep it simple.

Don’t try to crowd too many different elements into your visual branding. It will end up looking messy and schizophrenic. These points are things a designer can help guide you through, but if you’re set on the DIY track here are some basics:

Fonts: Stick to 2-3 fonts total, that complement each other. One font for headlines, one font for large blocks of copy, and maybe a third for contrast in other stand-out text.

Colors: I’d recommend sticking to 2-4 colors (not counting black and white). That’s enough to establish a recognizable brand look and still have contrast between elements in a design. This is your overall color scheme for ALL branding pieces; it should be noted that you don’t have to include the full color scheme in your logo alone. In fact, a good test for a logo is making sure it still makes sense and is readable when shown only in black.

Logomark (the symbolic, non-text part of your logo): Simplicity is key not only for longevity (simpler tends to be more timeless), but also because your logo has to appear many different places in many different sizes. An intricate logo might look great sized for your website’s header, but what about when it has to fit onto a business card? a small social media avatar? a pen? If the beautiful details of your logo devolve into a indistinguishable blob, then it’s not the best choice. Take a page out of Nike or Apple’s book and go for simple symbolism.

3. Keep it consistent

The best way to make sure your business’ look stays consistent is to put together a brand guidelines document. Once you have the basic visual elements figured out, sit down and put all of that information together. Note what fonts you used and for what purpose (i.e. “this is the font for headlines”), what the color codes are for your brand’s color scheme (RGB, CMYK, web hex), acceptable ways to use the logo, etc. You can even include what textural elements or photographic style your brand pieces should have.

If you want to get really in-depth, you can also include non-visual brand notes, like the tone of voice all writing should have, or how certain ideas should always be phrased. It takes a bit of time to put together, but once you have it you can always refer back to it if you forget what font you used, or can’t remember the code for that specific shade of green. Not only that, but if your business grows to where you have employees or partners, a brand guidelines document makes sure everyone is on the same page and representing the brand consistently.

If you can keep those three ideas in mind, you’ll already be ahead of the game compared to most business owners.

What do you think: do any other tips for establishing visual branding come to mind? Did you follow these best practices when establishing your business’ look?

From freelance designer to studio owner, I've been a self-employed, independent graphic designer for over a decade. I love helping people find the right visual voice for their businesses and projects. Let's talk!